Shuttle car for mines



Feb. 20, 1962 B. w. WARF 3,0 2,023

SHUTTLE CAR FOR MINES Filed Dec. 23, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 f /L AWIlllllllllllllllH IN VENTOR BERNAR D W. WARF ATTORNEYS Feb. 20, 1962 B.w. WARF SHUTTLE CAR FOR MINES Filed Dec. 2:5, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR BERNARD W. WARP BY W 944% MM ATTORNEYS Feb. 20, 1962 B. w. WARF3,022,023

SHUTTLE CAR FOR MINES Filed Dec. 23, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORBERNARD W. WAR F ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,022,023 SHUTTLE CARFOR MINES Bernard W. War-f, 644 Central Ave., Welch, W. Va., as-

signor of fifty percent to W. H. Ballard II, Welch, W. Va.

Filed Dec. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 782,579 5 Claims. (Cl. 242-8651) Thisinvention relates to a safety device for use on cable powered shuttlecars of the type commonly employed in mining operations. Although thestructural aspects of the invention are easily comprehended, theimportance of the invention may be better understood if consideration isfirst given to operating conditions within a mine.

In order to provide proper ventilation within mines, it is common toemploy check curtains along the headings of coal mine sections toproperly direct air through sections where mining operations are beingperformed. It is also common to employ electrically driven shuttle carsto carry coal or other material from anoperating section to a loadingstation remote from the operating station. Such shuttle cars are poweredby cables running from a given point, usually close to. a source ofpower, to the shuttle car, and each car carries a reel upon which cableis wound, or from which cable is let out, as the car travels toward oraway from the given point respectively. As a shuttle car moves away fromthe given point at which one end of the cable is fixed, it passes fromone operating section of the mine to another and therefore through orpast series of check curtains. When a car moves away from the givenpoint, it passes under a curtain, leaves cable behind, and when the carmoves toward the given point, it picks up the cable.

The check curtains are usually hung from the ceiling of the mine andextend to the floor, and the cable normally is taken in by the shuttlecar at a point between the floor and ceiling. Thus, as a shuttle carapproaches a curtain under which a cable has passed, the cable is liftedup, and as a result the bottom of a curtain under which cable lies islifted up and rides on the cable in the direction of cable movement. Asa result the curtain is often caught in the cable takeup mechanism orguide therefor.

More particularly, it is conventional to employ a takeup guide meanscomprising a pair of parallel plates having guide rollers therebetweenover which the cable passes. The cable input side between these platesisan open slot so as to allow the cable to shift between the extremitiesof the slot for various directions of movement of the shuttle car.Because of this open space, a curtain edge which has been lifted up bythe cable and which rides on the cable, can pass into the open slot ofthe cable guide means, whereupon the curtain gets caught and is pulleddown.

As set forth above the curtains are used to properly ventilate the mine,and it is apparent that if some curtains are torn down, properventilation is impaired. Lack of ventilation results in the accumulationof ignitable or explosive gas, such as methane gas, in the face area ofa working section, and many explosions have been caused by failure toprevent such accumulations of gas. Of course, the curtains areexpensive, and this is a secondary reason why it is important to preventtearing them down.

The instant invention has as a primary object the provision of safetymeans for preventing check curtains from becoming entangled with cableguide mechanisms on cable powered mine shuttle cars. A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide such a safety means which allowsfor take-up of the cable into the guide means at BfiZZflZE Patented Feb.20, 1952 ice any angle with respect to the forward direction of theshuttle car without injury to the cable.

Yet another, and still further object of this invention is to provide asafety means for use with a cable take-up or reeling means as describedabove, which safety means is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to installon presently existing equipment, and yet rugged enough to withstandheavy use.

Basically the invention provides a device to be used with a cabletake-up means of the type having an open slot and used on mine shuttlecars, said device comprising the combination of a cable shielding means,means to support the cable shielding means, and means to guide a cablefrom the cable shielding means into the cable takeup means. Theinvention will be better understood, and objects other than thosespecifically set forth above will become apparent, when consideration isgiven to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodimentof the invention. This exemplary embodiment is presented in, anddiscussed in connection with, the annexed drawings whereint FIGURE 1is'a plan View of an exemplary mine of the type in which shuttle carsprovided with the invention may advantageously operate; T

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of'part of an exemplary mine, and presents theoperation of a shuttle car provided with the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective view of a shuttle car provided with asafety device constructed in accordance with the teachings of thisinvention and traveling past a check curtain;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a cable take-up mechanism on the sideof a shuttle car, to which mechanism is attached the safety deviceprovided by this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the take-up mechanism and safety device shownin FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the take-up mechanism and safety device shownin FIGURES 2 and 3;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded view of the safety device provided by thisinvention; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmental detail showing a portion of the safety deviceprovided by this invention including the roller assembly.

In FIGURE 1, the mine section shown is generally designated by numeral100. Through this section runs a loading track 162 which curves betweencorridors 164 and 166 on which a railroad car 168 travels. The solidarrows A in FIGURE 1 show the direction of travel of ventilating airthrough the corridors 104 and and past headings 112 which are closed bycheck curtains 2. Because of such ventilation, gas cannot accumulate atthe room faces 114. Shuttle cars 4 move past the curtains 2 in variousdirections as shown by the dotted arrows S.

In FIGURE 2, a shuttle car 4- is shown in various positions as it movestoward and away from the cable connecton 290. Cable connection 293 ismerely a means of fixedly securing one end of a cable to a wall of themine. It should be noted from FIGURE 2 that shuttle car 4 may move pastand under check curtains 2.

Now, referring to FIGURE 3, wherein the invention is shown in somedetail, it will be seen that a shuttle car 4 is shown passing undercheck curtains 2. These check curtains, as is customary, may be made ofthe canvaslike material brattice cloth, and hang down like draperies.The curtains are slit as at 6 and 8 to allow for the passage of avehicle thereunder. Although only one ply of curtain is shown in thisfigure, there may be several plies as shown in FIGURE 2 with slits inone ply staggered with respect to those in the next ply so that aneffective seal is maintained. Of course, the check curtains may be madeof any material, and disposed in any desired aoeaoas The aboveexplanation is merely given so as to facilitate v comprehension of theinvention.

T he shuttle car 4 comprisesa frame carrying a conveyor 12 and havingupstanding sides 14. Only one side of the shuttle car is shown in FIGURE3, but it will be understood by referring to FIGURES l and 2 that theother side is the same as that shown. Attached to the upper forward endof side 14 is a cable take-up guide 16 and a safety device 13constructed according to the instant invention. The shuttle car 4 isshown passing forward under curtain 2, and a cable 20, from which poweris taken to operate the car, is shown passing through the safety device18 and into the takeup guide 16. It will be noted that the cable 20 islifting the curtain 2 due to the location of the safety device 18 andtakeup guide 14 at the upper portion of the side 14 of the shuttle car.

Now by referring to FIGURE 4, the take-up guide and safety device may bemore clearly seen. The take-up guide comprises a pair of parallel plates22 and 24 attached to shuttle car side 14 by any suitable means, such asby a weld. Plates 22 and 24 as shown are supported by bracket members 26and 2S. Bracket 28 has one end fixed, by weld or otherwise, to plate 24and the other end fixed to side 14 by the same, or similar means.Bracket 26 has one end fixed to a support and stop bar 27 carried onplate 22 and the other end fixed to side 14, by any suitable means, suchas again, by welding.

Disposed between plates 22 and 24 aretwo rollers or pulleys 39 and 32over which cable 29 passes. By referring to FIGURE 6 it will be notedthat the cable 20 may pass over either roller 30 or 32 or'both dependingon the angle of intake of cable 20, and also depending on the positionof the leveling or even-wind mechanism. (not shown) if such mechanism isprovided. Rollers 3t and 32 are fixed on shafts 31 and 33 which arecoupled in plates 24 and '22, and suitable bearings may be provided ashousings on the shafts if desired.

As set forth above, and as shown in'FIGURE4, cable 2% passes betweenrollers 30 and 32 through an open input slot or side formed betweenplates 22 and 24. The

cable is wound-up on, and let out from, a take-up reel '34 which may bedriven by any suitable means, such as by a hydraulic motor (not shown).The take-up guide 16 has been described in some detail above, althoughit is not part of the present invention, because the safety deviceprovided by this invention is particularly adapted to be used with sucha take-up guide. For a more complete explanation of such devicereference should be made to U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,589,235.

As is apparent from the above discussion, the take-up guide may bedescribed as comprising a pair of parallel plates with a plurality ofrollers disposed therebetween, said device having an open input side orslot. As is also apparent, if no safety device is provided, cablepassing into that side may carry a part of a curtain such as thatdesignated by numeral 2 in FIGURES 2 and 3, into the open slot, and ifsuch happens, the curtain is likely to get i caught in the rollers orbetween the cable and a roller or to be wound-up on reel 34 resulting ina tearing down of the curtain as the shuttle car moves past the curtain.The safety device provided by this invention and designated generally bynumeral 18 prevents'such occurrences.

The safety device 18 as shown includes a cable shield 59 surrounding thecable 29, a guiding means 52 for guiding the cable 20 into the cabletake-up guide 16, and a supporting arm 86 pivotally mounted on plate 22.The cable shield 50 is preferably a hard plastic hose, however, it maybe made of rubber or any other suitable material. The cable guide 52comprises a pair of parallelbracket members56 and 58 spaced apart by apair of rollers 60 and 62. The rollers, as shown in FIGURE 7, aremounted for rotation about shafts 61 and 63 which are fixed incooperating bores in the brackets 56 and 58. Each'bracket has a flange64, 64' to'which is fixedly secured, by Weld or otherwise, a yoke 66.The yoke is a coupling comprising a bored cylindrical member 68 afilxedto, or integral with a ring member 7 t). The bore of the cable shield54) is adapted to tightly engage the outer surface of cylindrical member68, and the end 50 of shield 50 abuts against ring member 68. The shield59 may be securely fastened to cylindrical member 68 by means of atwisted wire loop 72 as shown in FIGURE 7; or as in the modificationshown in FIGURE 5, recesses 74 may be provided in the outer face ofcylindrical member 68 and a cooperating ring lug 76 may be provided onthe interior of shield 50.

By reference to FIGURES 5 and 7, it will be noted that the couplingmember is preferably an integral structure consisting of ring 70 andcylinder 68, and is pro vided with a tapering internal bore 78. Thistapered bore is an important feature of the invention because itprovides a surface at the coupling which minimizes wear on the cablepassing through the, coupling.

Now, if reference is again made to FIGURE 6, it will be noted that theguide means or'roller assembly 52 and thereby the cable shield aresupported by anarm 80 pivotally secured as at aperture 82 therein toplate 22. Arm 89, as is evident from FIGURE 4, may swing between side 14of the shuttle car and the terminal extension 27 of stop bar 27. Thefree end 80 is bored so that a threaded bolt 84 (FIGURE 7) may passtherethrough to cooperate with the threaded aperture 86 in bracketmember 56 of the cable guide. With this construction the roller assemblyand cable shield allow the assembly and shield to swing back and forthacross the open slot. The arm 8%), as shown in FIGURE 5 is pivoted bymeans of bolt 57 passing through aperture 81 in plate 22 and aperture 82in arm 80 and fastened in position by nut 5?.

7 Since arm 80 may pivot through approximately 90 between side 14 andthe stop bar 27, and since cable guide means 25 and cable shield 50 arepivotally secured thereto, cable may be taken in at any angle within thepivotal range of shield 50. V

It should be pointed out that the rollers 60 and 62 are preferablyspaced apart such that the cable does not engage the side walls of thecoupling 66 at the. rear end thereof. That is, as shown in FIGURE 8, aportion of the bearing surfaces of rollers 60'and 62 lie within the areadefined by bore in coupling member 66 so that cable does not bearagainst the end of the bore 0. It should also be pointed out that stopbar 27 limits movement of arm 26 just as side 14 limits movement of thatarm. Of course, bracket 26 restrains any vertical movement of arm 80.

' Operation In operation, initially cable is threaded through cableshield 50, between rollers 60 and 62, through the input side of cabletake-up guide 16 between rollers 30 and 32, and one end is fastenedontoreel 34. The other end is fixedly secured to a wall or the like of amine as at 200 (FIGURE 2). As the shuttle car moves away from the pointwhere the cable is fixed to the wall in the direction of arrow B, FIGURE2, and under the electrical power delivered by the cable, cable is letout from reel 34 and lies on the floor of the mine. Since the shuttlecar will pass under check curtains during the course of its travel to anoperating station, some cable lies under the curtains.

After the shuttle car has been loaded at an operating station, ittravels to an unloading station, and while so traveling cable is takenin and wound upon reel 34 as the car approaches point 200 and let out asthe car passes point 260 and moves toward a loading station. 'As theshuttle car approaches a check curtain, the curtain is lifted as shownin FIGURE 3, and because of the provision of a cable shield, the curtaintravels above the cable and free of the open slot of the cable take-upguide 16. Thus, the curtain cannot get caught in the cable take-up guideand the possibility of tearing down a curtain is eliminated.

Since the cable shield is supported by the pivotally mounted rollerassembly 52, the shield may swing back and forth to align itself withthe cable to be taken in. Additionally arm 80 may swing back and forthas well as roller assembly 52 allowing for adjustment of the cableshield to various positions. The roller assembly 52 provides a guidemeans for the cable passing from shield 50 into the cable take-up guide16.

It should be apparent that with the construction shown in the drawings,the cable shield 50 may move from a position adjacent and perpendicularto side 14 of the shuttle car to a position remote from, and parallel toside 14. This means that the cable shield may move from a position whereit is aligned with arrow y (FIG- URE 6) to a position where it isaligned with arrow x, so that the lie of the cable does not interferewith operation of the shuttle car.

For example, as shown in FIGURE 2, the shield 50 may move from thestraight out position which it occupies at the operating station to thereverse position which it occupies at the loading station. In eitherposition, however, it should be apparent that as the car approaches acheck curtain, the cable shield deflects the curtain and prevents itfrom entering the take-up guide slot. Moreover, if reference is made toFIGURE 1, it will be noted that a shuttle car 4 may move in variousdirections, as in the path defined by dotted arrows S, and under anumber of check curtains 2, still operating in the above describedmanner to prevent tearing down the curtains.

From this discussion of the operation of the invention, it should beapparent that the safety device provided by this invention accomplishesthe various objects set forth above by displacing the check curtainswith respect to the moving cable in the vicinity of the cable take-upguide so that the curtains cannot enter the take-up mechanism. V

As pointed out above, a preferred embodiment of the invention has beenillustrated in the drawings and discussed in detail. Variousmodifications may be made to the embodiment shown, however, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, stopbar 27 might be replaced by a small block underlying the end of bracket26 above roller 30, or different pivoting means may be providedthanthose presented with particularity. Although a cylindrical cable shieldis shown, the shape may be changed if desired. Additionally, it shouldbe understood that while the invention is particularly adapted for useon shuttle cars powered by cables such as shown in US. Patent No.2,589,235 it may find use on various other types of shuttle cars.

Certainly, other modifications than those specifically suggested willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and therefore theforegoing description should be interpreted as illustrative, and theinvention should be limited only as described in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mine shuttle car for use in mines having a power source remote fromthe shuttle car' and a cable for delivering power from the remote powersource to the car comprising: frame means; a cable reel attached to saidframe means; means for guiding cable onto the cable reel; and safetymeans for deflecting a mine check curtain away from said cable reelincluding an elongated shield covering a portion of said cable, saidshield being pivotally connected at one end thereof to said cable guidemeans, and extending towards the power source of the cable.

2. A shuttle car defined in claim 1 wherein said cable guiding meansincludes spaced apart rollers operatively mounted adjacent the inner endof said elongated shield for receiving the cable therebetween so thatthe cable moves freely into and out of said cable reel as the elongatedshield is pivoted.

3. A shuttle car defined in claim 1 wherein said cable reel is mountedadjacent the forward end of the shuttle car, and said elongated shieldextends forwardly of the front frame of the shuttle car when pivoted toits forward position.

4. A shuttle car defined in claim 1 wherein said said cable guidingmeans is pivotable in a generally horizontal plane from a forwardposition generally parallel to the side of the shuttle car to a positiongenerally transverse thereto.

5. A mine shuttle car for use in mines having a power source remote fromthe shuttle car and a cable for delivering power from remote powersource to the car comprising: frame means; a cable reel attached to saidframe 'means on the side of the car adjacent the forward end thereof;means pivotally connected to said frame means for guiding the cable ontosaid cable reel said cable guiding means being pivotal from a forwardposition adjacent the car and forward of said cable reel to a rearwardposition generally transverse to the side of the car; safety means fordeflecting a mine check curtain away from said cable reel including anelongated tube surrounding the cable, said tube being pivotallyconnected at one end thereof to said cable guide means, and extendingtowards the power source of the cable; and spaced apart rollerscperatively mounted adjacent the inner end of said elongated tube forreceiving the cable tberebetween so that the cable moves freely into andout of said cable reel as said elongated tube is pivoted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,644,237 Christensen Oct. 4, 1927 2,121,916 Jacobsen June 28, 19382,203,435 Kempe June 4, 1940 2,472,860 Russell June 14, 1949 2,633,309Beck Mar. 31, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,089,981 France Oct. 31, 1954

